Michelle Obama's inaugural gown is a hit

WASHINGTON -- Michelle Obama's inaugural ensembles were more of a hit than miss, a new Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll found.

Of those who offered an opinion on her inaugural dresses, 88 percent approved, according to the poll released Wednesday.

About three-quarters of those surveyed gave their answers before Obama changed into her flowing, one-shouldered inaugural gown. But the numbers remained consistent from day to night: About 40 percent of those surveyed said Obama made a good fashion statement in her inaugural outfit. Five percent didn't like it and 55 percent didn't care.

The white, one-shouldered gown, covered in fabric petals and dotted with beads, was made by 26-year-old Jason Wu, a rising star in the fashion world but otherwise not well-known. It will be donated to the Smithsonian for its collection of first lady gowns.

Earlier in the day, she wore an Isabel Toledo lemon grass yellow ensemble to the inaugural ceremony and parade.

It's said that women dress for other women, and this seems to be no exception. Women were more likely to care, and to approve of the choices: 48 percent liked her outfit, 6 percent didn't and 45 percent didn't care.

Opinions were more heated online, where photos of the inaugural gown posted on mrs-o.org, a blog devoted to Michelle Obama's fashion, got more than 100 comments, both positive ("lovely and so unique") and not-so ("looked like Kleenex").

The poll was conducted Tuesday and involved online interviews with 835 adults. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

The poll was conducted over the Internet by Knowledge Networks, which initially contacted people using traditional telephone polling methods and followed with online interviews. People chosen for the study who had no Internet access were given it for free.